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18 Photographs That Will Change Your View of Washington

Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose photography is known for its candid and ephemeral quality, once said of his chosen profession: “We photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing, and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.” When Politico Magazine asked five judges to select our first annual Washington Photos of the Year, the panel was undoubtedly drawn to such moments, snapshots that were not only visually and emotionally stunning, but also inimitable.
With the Washington Photos of the Year chosen, we asked the panelists a new question: How, then, to take a great picture of a Washington icon—a monument or building that, far from “continually vanishing,” has been the subject of photographs for hundreds of years?
The photographers represented in this gallery, according to the judges, succeeded in this task. These 18 remarkable images demonstrate that a shutter opened at the right moment can transform even the most established of subjects. They encourage you to look twice at the icons you think you know.
The judges chose from a group of photos all taken in 2013 and selected by Politico Magazine, with the photographers’ names hidden. Published in this gallery are the three winners, along with 15 honorable mentions. The Panel: Dennis Brack, photojournalist; Mary Calvert, photojournalist; Keith Jenkins, director of photography at National Geographic; Brooks Kraft, photojournalist; M. Scott Mahaskey, director of photography at Politico.